About Harbor 10

HARBOR 10

I launched this venture as a place for organizations of all sizes to come and feel safe harboring their goals, visions, and ideas alongside my proven skills as a professional writer.

As for the "10"? I wouldn't feel safe entrusting my business objectives to anyone who wasn't focused on providing any less than a perfect "10" in terms of service, and I'm sure you wouldn't either.

I've worked in a few different industries -- education, banking, and even a non-profit, to name a handful. Everywhere I've worked, when something needed to be written or a creative project needed to be planned, I was the go-to girl -- and I loved it. I was good at it. It engaged me. It made me feel more purposeful than anything else. The practice of creating something tangible out of ideas and processes, something that others would find truly useful -- that did it for me. My finished product, whether it was a lengthy training manual or a single-page flier with some catchy copy, freed up time for the organization to actually serve the community or marketplace.

Too bad I couldn't do it all the time.

Right?

Enter, Harbor 10 Communications.

WHY OUTSOURCE?

That's easy.

Guess what precious capital you won't be spending on me?

Health insurance. Retirement. Vacations. Sick days. Then there's the annual collective number of hours any in-house employee might spend at the water cooler, engaged in casual conversation, making copies, sharpening pencils ...

When you outsource your writing and creative project management to a freelancer, you only pay for the service you need, when you need it.

The truth is, I didn't just begin this venture because I enjoyed professional writing and creative projects. Harbor 10 Communications exists because I have seen how much your business means to you, and I believe that with my diverse background, proven writing skills, and network of creative professionals, you can maintain the brand or mission your client base has come to trust without spending tens of thousands of dollars per year (or more) on an in-house employee's salary.

I understand that what you're doing right now impacts your community on a moment-to-moment basis. There is a science to what you do, and it requires momentum. There's no time to stop to write training materials, effective web content, or a press release.

Maybe you have an amazing team of marketing strategists, but you want someone with a background in written communications to proofread the partner newsletter with a highly skilled and practiced set of editorial eyes.

Hi, there.

I can help you with that.

WHAT DOES HARBOR 10 DO?

Maybe it's easier to start by listing the things I don't do --

I'm not a marketing strategist, and I am not a public relations specialist. I am not a trained graphic designer, nor am I a skilled web developer (though I did throw this site and its graphics together, and I could easily do the same for you if that's the direction you want to go.)

I'm someone who believes that your marketing and P.R. teams are invaluable. They have been specially trained to help you define and reach your very unique niche. The important things they understand about economics and media law and social psychology and business ethics can move mountains. You need them.

Me?

I'm a creative, and highly practiced writer. (And photographer. Just thought I'd throw that one in there.)

I get tone, voice, syntax, and grammar. I can write copy that your customers will remember, and I can translate the most extraterrestrial-sounding technical jargon into language that is accessible to the people who need it.

ABOUT MELISSA 

I'm an ambitious, professional, and innovative freelance writer and photographer based in Muncie, Indiana. I obtained my B.A. in English in 2008, followed by a Master's in Library and Information Science from Indiana University in 2013. While working on my M.L.S, I served as a school library intern, where I discovered that my strong writing skills were in pretty serious demand! Between coursework in library management and evaluation, I realized that I could leverage the skills I was gaining as a technical writer and researcher and put them to good use serving a wide range of clientele -- libraries included!

My areas of  research expertise include: education (primary and secondary), technology integration, software integration, emergent literacy, English Language Arts education, educational blogging, and arts integration. 

In addition to these, I've also run a successful wedding and portrait photography business for about three years, and have developed all the marketing materials for it, as well as effectively employed the use of social media and blogs.

I wrote my first novel when I was nine, and I used to be a professional musician.

Ta da!